Abstract
Toll-like receptors (TLRs) functionally expressed in salivary epithelial cells, but their roles remain elusive. Among TLRs family, TLR3 is activated by dsRNA, a byproduct of viral infection. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of TLR3 in the inflammatory immune responses using HSG cells. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), real-time PCR and ELISA were performed to identify expression of TLRs and TLR3-mediated chemokine inductions. The chemotaxis assay of activated T lymphocytes was also performed. Treatment of HSG cells with polyinosinic: polycytidylic acid (poly(I:C)) significantly increased interferon-γ-inducible protein 10 (IP-10), interferon-inducible T-cell α chemoattractant (I-TAC), and regulated on activation, normal T-cells expressed and secreted (RANTES) gene expressions in a concentration-dependent manner. Anti-TLR3 antibody blocked the increases of IP-10 and I-TAC genes. Poly(I:C)-induced increases of IP-10 and I-TAC were also confirmed at protein levels from cell lysates, but their release into extracellular medium was detected only in IP-10. We found that the culture media from HSG cells stimulated with poly(I:C) significantly increases T lymphocyte migration. Our results suggest that TLR3 plays an important role in chemokine induction, particularly IP-10, in salivary epithelial cells.
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![]() | Fig. 1.mRNA expression of Toll like receptor (TLR) subtypes in human submandibular glands (hSMG) and HSG cell lines. (A) Strong mRNA expression of TLR1, 3, 5, and 9 and weak expression of TLR2, 4, and 6 in hSMG. M; marker protein, Pwon600DNA/ECOR1+HinfI Digest N; negative control. (B) Strong mRNA expression of TLR1, 3 and 6, and weak expressions TLR4 and 5 in HSG cell lines. |
![]() | Fig. 2.Poly(I:C)-induced mRNA expressions of IP-10, I-TAC, and RANTES in HSG cells. The means±S.E.M of three independent experiments are shown. (A∼C) Increase in chemokine gene expression in a concentration-dependent manner. Treatment of cells with 10 μg/ml poly(I:C) significantly increased (p<0.01, indicated by ∗) induction of IP-10, I-TAC, and RANTES by 26.5±1.2, 28.6±10.0, and 5.6±0.9 folds (dark grey bar in A, B, C), respectively, compared to the control (Con). The high concentration of poly(I:C), 40 μg/ml, further increased inductions of these chemokines by 209.3±19.7, 216.2±88.3, and 57.6±4.7 folds, respectively (black bar in A, B, C). (D∼F) Expression levels of chemokine genes in a various incubation time with 10 μg/ml of poly(I:C). Peak increases of all three chemokine expressions were observed after incubation of cells with poly(I:C) for 6 hrs by 68.3±2.3, 53±0.6, and 13.2±0.7 folds (p<0.001, indicated by ∗∗), respectively (hatched bar in D, E, and F). |
![]() | Fig. 3.Effects of TLR3 antibody on the IP-10 (A), I-TAC (B), and RANTES (C) mRNA expression induced by 10 μg/ml poly(I:C) for 6 hrs. The means±S.E.M of three independent experiments are shown. Poly(I:C)-induced inductions of IP-10, I-TAC and RANTES mRNA were decreased to 4.7±0.09, 1.4±0.3, and 14±5 folds, respectively, by the addition of 20 μg/ml TLR3 antibody (hatched bars). TLR3 antibody significantly decreased IP-10 and I-TAC mRNA expression (p<0.001, indicated by ∗∗), but not RANTES. Addition of mouse IgG (black bars) instead of TLR3 antibody has no effect on the expression of the three chemokine genes. |
![]() | Fig. 4.Poly(I:C)-induced chemokine release and migration of activated T lymphocytes. The means±S.E.M of three independent experiments are shown. (A) I-TAC protein concentration from cell lysates in the control (C, 215±9.2 pg/ml), PMB (217.7±16.7 pg/ml), and poly(I:C) treatment groups. 10 μg/ml of poly(I:C) significantly increased protein concentration to 312.6±26.4 pg/ml (p<0.01, indicated by ∗), compared to the control. (B) I-TAC protein concentrations in culture medium in control (C), PMB, and poly(I:C) treatment groups with 10, 20, and 40 μg/ml concentrations. The amount of I-TAC protein in the poly(I:C) treatment group was not significantly different, compared to the control or PMB groups (p> 0.1). Note the different scale of Y-axis. (C) IP-10 protein concentrations in control (313.1±20.1 pg/ml), PMB (262.6±13.1 pg/ml), and poly(I:C) treatment groups in culture media. 10 μg/ml of poly(I:C) significantly increased protein concentration to 837.4±58.7 pg/ml (p< 0.001, indicated by ∗). (D) % migration of activated T lymphocytes induced by three different incubation media: untreated (control, white bar, 17.6±1.5%, n=3), treated with 10 μg/ml poly(I:C) (grey bar, 31.3±2.0%, n=3), or plus antibodies against IP-10 (black bar, 18.3±1.5%, n=3). 10 μg/ml poly(I:C) significantly increased migration of activated T lymphocytes compared to the control (p<0.01, indicated by ∗), and addition of anti-IP-10 Ab completely blocked the poly(I:C)-induced T lymphocyte migration. |